


Always Have, Always Will

by indiepjones46



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bottom Steve, Cargument, First Time, M/M, Misunderstandings, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Slash, Top Danny "Danno" Williams, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:25:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5689234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiepjones46/pseuds/indiepjones46
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams have been at each other's throats for weeks and the rest of the Five-0 team fear that their ohana is getting ready to fracture for good. Danny has had enough of Steve's reckless behavior and decides it's time for a reckoning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own anything to do with this show and make no profit.
> 
> Beta: just me
> 
> Notes: It's been awhile since I've written anything, much less a fanfic, so I hope it is good enough to entertain. Forgive me any little mistakes, and let me know what you think. As ever, thank you ahead of time for all your support and for being the best group of people I've had the pleasure of writing for!

Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua exchanged worried glances as they watched their boss, Commander Steve McGarrett stalk into his office and snap the door closed without a word. A few minutes later, Steve’s partner, Detective Danny Williams, stormed up the hallway, stopped long enough to flash his middle finger at Steve’s door, before stomping into his own office and slamming the door behind him. The two cousins had seen the partners fight countless times over the years, but it had never reached the fever pitch of animosity that now resided between the two men.

 It had been building up for months now and Kono and Chin felt helpless in the face of their splintering ohana. Of course, the team had more than their fair share of stress and anxiety over the last year or two. Between the reappearance and subsequent disappearance of Catherine, the traumatic discovery of Danny’s secret son and life-threatening illness, Kono and Adam’s run in with both the Yakuza and Gabriel Waincroft, and the death of Danny’s brother combined with the kidnap and torture Steve had endured at the hand of Wo Fat had all culminated in adding fractures and cracks in the unshakeable partnership between the two men that headed up their task force.

Of course, Kono had her own ideas about why the two men were at each other’s throats. She had watched her bosses over the last five years closely, and she knew that there was more to their partnership than work and friendship. As a matter of fact, everyone that knew them seemed to feel the sexual tension between the men except for the men themselves. The chemistry between them crackled and sparked like a faulty wire and it either led them to bickering and fighting like an old married couple, or exploding into violence that left collateral damage in their wake.

“God, I wish they would just get on with it,” Kono mumbled for the millionth time as she crankily tapped away on the vid screen in the bullpen.

Chin raised an eyebrow, but nodded in agreement. “I have a bad feeling that if something doesn’t give soon, there’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out between the two of them. I thought they were still seeing that couples’ therapist? Maybe we should call her and ask for a follow-up appointment.”

Kono made a rude noise in the back of her throat. “What they need is to get their heads out of their collective asses and just fuck already. I thought for sure they would have done it by now. For God’s sake! They spend all their time together, have no personal space boundaries with each other, and neither of them can hold on to a girlfriend to save their lives. Did you see the look on Danny’s face the other day when Steve whipped his shirt off on the way to his office to change? I almost offered him a napkin to mop up the drool slipping down his chin.”

Chin laughed softly as he pressed a few buttons to organize the files on the screen. “I didn’t catch that, but I did see Steve watch Danny’s ass as he was sauntering out the door to get lunch yesterday. In fact, I don’t think Steve himself realizes how often his eyes are glued to Danny’s backside. How can two people be so completely blind to each other when they spend so much time together?”

Kono shook her head and her words were tinged with frustration when she replied, “It’s really starting to piss me off, because now it’s affecting the team. Steve has withdrawn again and is hiding behind his SEAL persona and Danny is angry all the time and lashing out at everyone. Something is going to have to give soon, because all this tension is making my trigger finger jumpy.”

Chin’s teeth flashed with a huge smile. “Believe me, cuz, no one wants that. I get what you mean about the tension, though. It seems to be building up to a head and I have a feeling that it won’t be too much longer before something happens to make them blow up. Maybe what they need is a good case to get them out of their heads for a while. We haven’t had much going on for a few weeks, so there’s been nothing to distract them.”

“Never thought I would say this, but from your mouth to God’s ears,” Kono mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder to where they could hear Danny slamming things around in his office.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve McGarrett cut through the ocean water with precision strokes fueled by the stewing cauldron of frustration and loneliness that bubbled inside him. Even though it was only 6 am in the morning, he had already been awake for hours, tossing and turning in his bed, and listening to the echo of silence punctuated only by the constant soundtrack of ocean waves crashing against his shore. His insomnia was getting worse by the day, and the only hope he had for collapsing into a fitful sleep was a long day of punishing exercise and activity. To that end, he pushed his burning muscles harder against the strength of the waves breaking over his body as he tried to force all thoughts of his infuriating partner from his mind.

It was easier said than done, however. Being in the Navy, especially as a SEAL, had taught him how to compartmentalize and clear his mind until he was able to focus on his mission, but Danny Williams refused to leave his mind. There was no ignoring or forgetting the loud-mouthed, hot-headed detective from Jersey. From the moment Steve had met him, the man had gotten under his skin and wouldn’t let go. There had been an immediate attraction on Steve’s part that had shocked him. Though he was no stranger to having rough, hurried sexual encounters with men throughout his years in the service, none of them had ever slipped past his emotional barriers to see the man he was underneath until Danny. After they had become partners, Danny had sunk his teeth into Steve like a terrier with a bone and had worn him down with his sharp tongue and affectionate touches. Steve had never met another man like Danny in his life and he fell a little more in love with him every day.

That’s why it had hurt so badly when Danny had begun to push him away. At first, Steve had thought it would be temporary. When the whole situation with Charlie had exploded into Danny’s life, Steve had given him the space he needed to figure it out. He made sure Danny had all the time off he needed for doctor’s appointments, the bone marrow procedure, and any follow-up visits to the hospital. He started bringing Lou with him on cases so Danny had more time to relax and recuperate with the added bonus of keeping his partner out of the potential line of fire. It was bad enough to think of Gracie losing a father, but to add little Charlie into the mix made Steve sick to his stomach at the thought of being the reason why his partner may not make it back home.

And then Cath had come back home out of the blue and looking to rekindle their relationship. Not that there had ever been much of a relationship to begin with, at least for Steve. He had respected her, loved her in his way, but there had never been that spark of excitement, the butterflies in his stomach, the ache of longing that he felt whenever he was with Danny. So when Danny had begun to distance himself and even pushed him toward Catherine, he had known his feelings for his partner were a lost cause. He decided to go through with the idea of marrying her so that he had some hope of alleviating the crushing loneliness his life had become. And then she had left him, too.

Steve exited the ocean and grabbed a towel on the way to his house and rubbed it over the bronzed muscles of his body. He had finally come to accept that he would always be alone. The one he wanted didn’t want him back, and the one he had settled for had chosen another mission over the possibility of a life with him. He was broken, damaged goods. He knew that. He just wished that he still had his friend, but Danny’s life had become too full to include him, too. At least he still had his work.

As if his thoughts had conjured it, his phone rang and flashed the Governor’s number on his caller ID. A small spark of excitement kindled in his chest as he answered the call. Within minutes, the familiar feeling of adrenaline was coursing through his body as he ran up the stairs toward the shower. They had landed a case, and it had the earmarks of just what he needed to get his mind off his partner: a bank heist that had left three witnesses dead, and one of the suspects was a recent parolee that was known to have ties to a local gun-running ring.

After a hurried, three-minute shower, he dialed up Captain Lou Grover, the newest member of their task force. Though their relationship had started out rocky when Lou ran the SWAT team, they had quickly put their differences aside and had become friends. He was a great addition to their team, and Steve had come to rely on him to help fill the gap left by Danny.

“Hey, Lou,” Steve said into the receiver when he answered. “We’ve landed a case. Can you meet me at Oahu National Bank in 30?”

There was a beat of silence before Lou answered him. “Man, I would, but I have that appointment with Renee this morning at the doctor, remember? I cleared it with you last week…”

“Shit,” Steve swore, shaking his head at himself. “Yeah, no, I remember that now. You need to be there with her in case it’s bad news. I’ll call Chin. Let us know how it goes, yeah?”

With Lou’s apologies and assurance that he would call with news, Steve quickly placed the call to Chin. After explaining the case, Chin replied, “Why don’t you call Danny and have him meet you there? Me and Kono can head to the office and start working on tracing the serial numbers off the money and tracking down the perp’s parole officer. You know we have better luck with the details than you two do.”

Steve winced and tried not to balk at the thought of being stuck in a car with his partner so soon after their last disastrous argument. “Yeah, you’re right, Chin. Will you call him and Kono for me? Tell him I’ll meet him there in half an hour.”

Chin’s sigh gusted over the phone, but he agreed to make the calls. As Steve pulled on his shirt and clipped his badge to his waist band, he rationalized that he was saving time by having Chin make the call. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to avoid talking to his partner. Nothing at all.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Danny Williams cursed a blue streak as he pulled the Camaro into the crowded parking lot of the bank. His hands tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white when he saw Steve already there and talking with Sgt. Duke Lukela. It was bad enough that Steve hadn’t called him personally, but to see him already beginning the investigation without him made him see red. That seemed to be par for course with his partner lately. Whether Steve was pushing him aside in favor of Lou, or sending him on assignments that were guaranteed to bore him to tears like that undercover professor job, it seemed like Steve had no time or faith in his partner anymore.

At first, Danny had really appreciated all the extra time off Steve had given him in order to take of Charlie and attend appointments, but when Danny was ready to resume his full duties, it was as if Steve couldn’t get rid of him fast enough. The asshole had even stopped inviting him over for beers on the lanai and kept insisting he go spend time with Charlie and Grace even when it wasn’t his weekend with them. Danny had tried to be understanding and assumed that Steve was still getting over the desertion of Catherine, and had allowed him to retreat and sulk, but this was getting ridiculous. The guy wouldn’t even hardly talk to him anymore unless it was about a case. He could see Steve retreating into his shell again and it pissed him off.

Danny had worked hard over the years to break down those walls that Steve had hidden behind, and they had forged a deep friendship based on trust, respect, and family. Of course, Steve didn’t need to know that Danny’s feelings had gone much deeper than friendship. That was Danny’s cross to bear, and he would never endanger what they had by revealing the true depth of his feelings about his partner. From the moment Steve had commandeered him for the task force, Danny had found himself falling further and further in love with the infuriating and stubborn force of nature that was Steve McGarrett. He had enjoyed peeling back the layers of Steve’s personality until he had uncovered the surprisingly soft and vulnerable heart that had been hiding under the callouses and scars that the Navy had built up around him. Steve was incredibly smart, stupidly brave, wonderfully loyal, and surprisingly funny all at once. To top it all off, he was built like a fucking Greek god, too, and Danny had found himself both longing for and dreading the times when Steve would whip his shirt off for one reason or another. All that tanned and muscled skin and those fucking tattoos haunted his mind as Danny lay in bed at night and stroked his hard cock until he came while groaning his partner’s name.

Danny was a wreck. He had come to rely on his friendship with Steve to get him through his days with his sanity intact. Even if he couldn’t have Steve the way he wanted him, at least he had his friendship and support, but even that was being taken away. He wasn’t sure what he had done to make Steve pull away from him, but it was enough to make Danny’s temper flare up until he was picking fights with Steve just to get some reaction out of him. Even an argument was better than the silence that had grown between them. Danny couldn’t seem to help himself. If he couldn’t have Steve’s smiles and laughter, he would at least have his Aneurysm Face and biting comments. Anything was better than the silence.

 Danny waved at Duke as he approached Steve who was studiously avoiding looking at him while tapping on his phone. Danny stood there, hands on hips, until he finally cleared his throat loudly. “Hey, dickhead. Remember me? Your _partner_? Since when do you start an investigation without me? Why didn’t you call me and just have me swing by your house to pick you up? Or are you so full of yourself that you think you can do this by yourself now?”

Steve shot him a dirty look. “Don’t be an ass, Danny. I just wanted to get a jump on interviewing the witnesses. In fact, why don’t you go talk to the bank manager and have him start pulling the video footage?”

Danny took a deep breath for patience and bit out, “Chin and Kono already have that footage back at the Palace and are analyzing it now. Is there any other bullshit job you want to push on me, or can we actually get to work now?”

Steve’s jaw muscle ticked with his rising temper. “Fine. Kono just sent me the last known address for our perp, Johnny Angelo, which she got from his parole officer. I’ll text it to you and you can meet me there.”

Danny’s body grew tight with tension and he snapped. Grabbing Steve roughly by the arm, he dragged the man back toward the Camaro and came to a stop by the driver’s side. Slapping the keys into Steve’s chest, he snarled, “Get in the fucking car and just drive us there.”

After Steve capitulated and folded his tall body into the seat, Danny took his customary place in the passenger side of the car and angrily snapped his seatbelt into place. The tension in the vehicle was thick with palpable anger and heavy with unspoken words. But that had never stopped Danny before, and this time was no different.

“What’s your problem, Steven?” he exploded, as the car sped along the highway toward their destination. “The past few months, you’ve been acting like a total stranger. I mean, I get that Cath leaving was hard for you and all, but you have been even more closed off than usual, and for you, that’s saying something. You wanna be pissed and pout like a baby, that’s fine. But stop taking it out on me and fucking with my job.”

Steve shot him a glare. “Me? You think I’m the one acting like a child? How about you, Danny? You stomp around throwing temper tantrums, yelling at me like a harpy, and constantly shoot your mouth off until I can’t wait to get away from you. I’ve had it with your mood swings and complaining. And you know what? This has nothing to do with Catherine leaving. You don’t know shit about how I feel about Cath, and you never have.”

Danny rocked back as if he had been slapped. No wonder Steve had been pushing him away. Apparently, he couldn’t wait to get away from Danny. He held his hands up in a defensive motion and replied, “Oh, you know what? You’re absolutely right about that one. I have no idea how you feel about anything, because the Super SEAL doesn’t have emotions at all, does he? It’s not like we’ve been friends for years or anything. In fact, I’m starting to think I don’t know you at all anymore.”

Steve flinched, but covered it up quickly. He hated fighting with Danny, but it seemed to be the only way they could communicate lately. He didn’t know what to say to him anymore. Finally, Steve shook his head and sighed. “Let it go, Danny. We don’t have time for this. Let’s just focus on the case and leave our personal shit out of it. Can you do that, please?”

“Fine. Whatever you say, _boss_ ,” Danny snapped, his gaze focused out the window at the rundown house where their perp supposedly lived.


	4. Chapter 4

For the next several days, Danny and Steve chased down leads on the suspects until they had the names of the three criminals that had pulled the job. Even though they weren’t speaking, they still managed to work flawlessly as a team, even when Steve had to chase one of them down by foot while Danny followed behind them in the car until a spectacular dive and tackle by Steve took the perp down. Even though he wouldn’t admit it, Danny had enjoyed watching Steve in action and never tired of seeing the cat-like grace of his partner when he ran, jumped, and leaped over cars and obstacles during a pursuit. That didn’t stop him from bitching at Steve, though, and thoroughly raking him over the coals for the unnecessary use of force that had left their suspect bleeding on his car upholstery while they transported him back to the Palace for questioning.

The suspect had turned out to be a valuable lead after the interrogation Steve and Danny had put him through back at HQ. Thanks to their intel, they had captured all three of the suspects and had learned that a major gun deal was going down that very evening. As Lou Grover, Kono, and Chin cinched their tack vests and loaded weapons, Steve and Danny were having a fierce battle of their own.

“I’m just saying that there’s no need for you to come with us tonight, Danny. We’ve got plenty of people on hand and SWAT is on stand-by to help us if we need it,” Steve explained, his voice exasperated.

Danny could feel the heat of his temper rising into his face until he thought the top of his head would blow off. “Am I or am I not a part of this team, Steve? How many times have we done this now? A dozen? Two dozen? What am I missing here? Do you not trust me to have your back anymore? Is that what this is?”

Steve looked thunderstruck. “Of course that’s not it! God, Danny! Stop being such a drama queen. You’re supposed to have the kids tonight, and I don’t want you to miss out on that. What’s the big deal? We have this handled. You don’t have to come.”

Danny’s fist clenched and he ached to plow it right in the SEAL’s smug face. “This is my job, Steven. I’ve already called Rachel and rescheduled. She understands and so does Grace. Charlie will learn. And what about Lou, huh? He’s got kids. You gonna give him an out on this, too, or am I the only lucky one?” Before Steve could reply, though, Danny held his hand up to stop him. “Just shut up. I don’t want to hear any more out of you. I’m going tonight and that’s all there is to it. And after that, you and me are going to have a reckoning.”

Danny spun on his heel and joined the rest of the team, who had gone quiet during their argument, to get his own gear on and load his weapon. Steve followed closely behind him and gathered his own guns, ammo, and vest and stalked back out to join the rest of the team who were muttering under their breath about the two men.

By the time they arrived at the warehouse, though, everyone had slipped into their respective roles as if they were a well-oiled machine. It was dark outside and the noise that pierced the silence was the sound of water slapping against the wharf and the rumbling of voices coming from inside where the gun deal was going down. Steve directed Chin and Lou around to the side entrance, Kono was stationed on the roof of another building close by with her sniper rifle, and he and Danny were flanking the back entrance. On Steve’s count, Danny darted in to open the door and the quickly stepped aside to allow Steve to flow through the entrance on quiet feet with Danny hot on his heels.

They quickly took cover behind some shipping containers and worked their way silently closer to where the voices were carrying. Danny peered around the edge of the crate and was able to see six men picking up and checking over different guns while they haggled over prices. In his experience, he knew that there had to be more men stationed around the building closer to the entrances as guards. Steve motioned for Danny to the right while he split off to the left so that they could scout out the guards and hopefully take them out before anyone was the wiser.

In a few short minutes, Steve and Danny had found and disabled three guards and it appeared that all was going to plan. Unfortunately, the final guard found them first. Gunfire erupted and wooden crates all around the two men began to splinter apart with the impact from bullets as they dove for cover and began to return fire. The six men that had been making the deal were quick to join in as Lou and Chin burst through the side door and added their own barrage of bullets to the fray.

Within minutes, four out of the seven gun runners were down for the count, leaving three of them scrambling to make a run for it. One of them managed to get out of the building, and Steve took a moment to hail Kono, “We’ve got a runner coming your way!”

“I’ve got him, boss!” she assured him as the echo of her rifle shot split the night air.

Danny motioned to Lou to cut off one of the two remaining men and he turned back in time to see Steve vaulting over a container to chase after the last one. “Goddammit, Steve!” he snarled as he chased behind his partner.

The remaining runner fired wildly behind him and Steve narrowly avoided taking a bullet to his head as shrapnel exploded less than six inches away. A piece of splintered wood flew out and left a long scratch along his face, and Danny swore fiercely as he laid down fire in order to cover Steve’s continued pursuit. Danny could see that their perp was getting away through the now-unguarded back door and he split off from Steve to try to cut him off. His ears were ringing with the sounds of gunfire, but he blocked it out as he saw Steve closing in on the suspect. As the runner hit the door, he tripped on his way out and fell to the ground with Steve in hot pursuit.

Almost as if in slow motion, Danny watched the suspect roll to his back and bring his gun up level with Steve’s head. He already knew that Steve wouldn’t have time to react and his own shot was blocked by Steve’s tall frame. He felt his stomach fall to his feet and a hoarse cry ripped from his throat as the suspect pulled the trigger.


	5. Chapter 5

“Danny,” Kono hailed him cautiously. “Do you want a lift back to HQ?”

Danny’s hands were still shaking and his mouth was dry as he shook his head in the negative. “No, thanks, babe. I’ll have one of the uniforms drop me off after they get done here. I need a little more time to cool off.”

She opened her mouth to say something, paused, then said softly, “He’s okay, Danny. The guy was out of bullets and he’s on his way to lock up, and Steve is fine.”

Danny laughed humorlessly. “Fine? You think he’s fine? He’s not fine, Kono! He’s fucked in the head! There is nothing _fine_ about Commander Steve McGarrett.”

Kono’s lip curled with a mischievous grin. She craned her neck to ogle Steve’s backside where he was standing across the parking lot giving his statement to HPD. “I wouldn’t say there was _nothing_ fine about Steve. That ass, though,” she murmured appreciatively.

Danny could feel his face heating up and had to physically stop himself from turning to get his own eyeful. Instead, he turned on his heel and made his way back inside the warehouse in order to put as much distance between himself and his partner as physically possible. He still felt sick to his stomach as he relived that moment when the perp had pulled the trigger and nothing had happened but a clicking noise. Steve hadn’t even paused. He had hurled himself at the perp and wrestled the gun from his hand before landing a punishing blow to the guy’s face and subsequently rolling him to his back to cuff his wrists with a zip tie. Danny had just stood there, his heart pounding furiously, his vision swimming, as he imagined a different outcome.

As if Steve knew better than to approach his partner, he sent word by Chin that he was heading back to the Palace to wrap up for the night and Danny assured his teammate that he had his own ride back. There was no way he could speak to Steve right now. He needed time to get himself back under control, time to allow the anger to wash over him and take the place of the fear and panic that were still clawing their way up his throat. He knew what to do with anger. He wasn’t so good at the other.

It was close to midnight before an officer dropped him off at the Palace, and Danny took his time returning his weapons and vest and even stood under the steaming water of a shower in the locker room and changed into a tee shirt and cargo shorts before he headed out and climbed into his car. He blinked away the flashback of seeing that gun aimed at his partner’s head and could feel the welcoming rush of fury begin to break across him like waves as he recalled Steve’s total disregard for his own safety. He pulled the righteous indignation around him like a comfortable old sweater and fed the flames of his anger by recalling all the other times Steve had been so careless and reckless with his own safety until he was fairly vibrating with fury.

It came as no surprise when he snapped out of his haze to see himself parked in Steve’s driveway. It had been weeks since he’d been there, weeks since he and Steve had relaxed and hung out to drink a beer and unwind. It had been weeks of Steve pushing him away, forcing space between them until they were little more than coworkers, and Danny was over it. He wasn’t leaving until he got to the bottom of it, even if it meant they had to come to blows.

His anger increased as he grasped the doorknob and found it locked. Without bothering to knock, he fit his key into the lock and let himself inside. He could hear the shower running, so he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and settled in to wait for his partner to join him while trying very hard not to think about Steve standing under the pulsing jets of water completely naked. He found himself on his second beer when the sound of Steve’s footsteps on the stairs reached his ears. When Steve walked into the kitchen, rubbing his wet hair with a towel, Danny sucked in a startled breath that matched Steve’s own. Steve was wearing only a pair of jogging pants that rode low on his hips and nothing else.

“Danny? What are you doing here?” his partner asked, his face a mask of surprise as he froze in place in the doorway.

Danny swallowed down the flood of saliva that had pooled in his mouth at the sight of all that tanned, muscled flesh and fought to regain his composure. He smirked sarcastically at his friend and boss, and answered, “I told you earlier, Steven. We’re going to have a reckoning whether you like it or not.”

Steve tossed the towel on the kitchen island and sighed heavily as he pulled open the fridge door and grabbed his own bottle of beer. Twisting the cap off, he took a long draw of the Longboard. “Can’t this wait? It’s almost 2 am and I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Bullshit,” Danny spat. “You and I both know that you won’t be getting to sleep any time soon. We’re doing this now, damn it. What the fuck did you think you were doing back there, Steve? Do you have a death wish? That guy could have blown your brains out tonight and you didn’t even pause! Is there something I should know here?”

“Like what?” Steve snapped back. “Like the fact that I had been counting his shots and knew that he had no more ammunition left? Because that’s what I did, Danny. I knew he was out of bullets. Contrary to your belief, I am not some arrogant asshole who thinks he’s bulletproof. I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time.”

Danny pushed off from the counter and stalked closer to his partner. “Oh, you’re right, babe. I _do_ think you’re an arrogant asshole. You think you’re such a badass that you don’t even need your partner anymore, isn’t that right? Big, bad Super SEAL doesn’t need some jerkoff cop from Jersey to watch his back anymore, huh? If you really think that, Steve, then maybe I’ll just go back to HPD and let you fly off of buildings and throw yourself in front of bullets on your own.”

Steve’s face pulled into a frown. “What are you talking about? I never said I didn’t need you anymore. You’re making a big deal out of nothing and overacting like usual.”

Danny’s face turned red with his mounting fury. “Overreacting? You think I’m overreacting? That’s perfect, just perfect. So, I guess it was nothing when you tried to keep me from going on the raid tonight? Or when you conveniently leave me behind at HQ to do paperwork while taking Lou with you on cases? I guess it’s nothing that you stopped inviting me over for beers or asking me to pick you up on my way into work? I’m just making a big deal about nothing, right?”

Steve slammed his beer on the counter and advanced on his partner. “Things have changed, Danny. You’ve got more responsibilities now with another kid who is sick. You’ve got a lot on your plate and I’ve been trying to give you more space and time to deal with it. Stop trying to make me out to be a bad guy when I’ve done nothing but try to make things easier for you.”

Danny reared back on his heels. “Oh, so I should be thanking you, then? Almighty Steven who thinks that because I have another kid that I can’t do my job anymore? Fuck you, asshole,” he snarled, poking his finger into Steve’s chest. “I don’t need your special treatment. If I need time off, I’ll tell you. If I have other plans, I’ll let you know. It is not up to you to decide what I can or can’t handle!”

Steve’s jaw clenched and his fists were balled at his sides. “I think it is up to me to decide. Last time I checked, I’m your boss.”

Danny’s breaths were coming faster and that terrible temper of his that could make him do things he wouldn’t normally do reared its ugly head. He pushed Steve back and snarled, “Now you’re going to throw that in my face?” He pushed Steve again and kept advancing on him. “I remember when you were my partner and my friend. Now you want to be my boss?” He pushed Steve again. “Well, go ahead, boss man. Let’s see you tell me what to do.”

“So help me, God, if you push me one more time, Danny, I won’t be responsible for the consequences,” Steve warned him, his voice deepening with his own anger.

Danny couldn’t help himself. His blood was singing with adrenaline and his desire to see Steve break out of his carefully controlled SEAL training had him taking a deliberate step closer, placing his hand flat against the puckered nipple on Steve’s chest, and pushing him roughly.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve reacted on instinct borne of years of training. He grabbed Danny’s wrist, stepped quickly to the side, and used his grip on his partner’s arm to propel him forward until he slammed up against the wall of the kitchen. He wedged the shorter man’s arm high on his back and stepped into his body to trap him against the wall. Both of their chests were heaving hard with their breaths and Steve closed his eyes as he felt the heat of Danny’s skin seep through his shirt to set him on fire.

  
“I tried to tell you, Danno,” Steve whispered raggedly into his ear. “You just had to keep pushing me, didn’t you?”

  
Steve shivered as raw lust slammed through him. How many times had he fantasized about this very thing? How many times had he stroked himself to climax imagining having his partner at his mercy and pinned beneath his body? The reality was so much more visceral than even his wildest daydreams could conjure and his body responded accordingly as his cock swelled and strained at the loose material of his jogging pants. Danny struggled and bucked beneath him, bringing his ass into contact with the proof of his desire. His partner froze beneath him for a split second before a low moan tore from his throat and he continued to twist and pant beneath the taller man.

  
Steve groaned in his ear. “Stop moving, Danny. Just…give me a minute,” Steve panted, lowering his forehead to rest against the top of Danny’s head.

  
He didn’t know why he couldn’t just let him go. It was as if his body had a mind of its own, and even though he knew he was probably ruining the best relationship that had ever come into his life, he still held on to his partner tightly while breathing in the scent of his spicy cologne and struggling to get himself under control.

  
Danny had remained completely still for only a moment, and then he shocked Steve by pushing his hips squarely back into the cradle of Steve’s thighs and staying there. Steve gasped against Danny’s ear and made to back away and released Danny’s arm as if it were on fire. “I’m sorry, Danno. I-“

  
Without turning around, Danny snagged Steve’s arm and pulled him back into his body and placed Steve’s hand on his chest. His voice was rough when he replied, “I’m not. Don’t go, Steven. I…” He paused and swallowed thickly before continuing, “I want you to touch me. For the love of God, just don’t let me go.”

  
Steve blinked rapidly in his shock as Danny’s meaning finally penetrated his lust-fogged brain. Even as his left arm snaked around Danny’s waist and the other explored the hard, straining muscles of his chest through his tight shirt, he breathed, “Are you sure about this? Because I don’t think I can stop myself once I start.”

  
Danny’s body shivered underneath him and he moaned low in his throat. “I’ve been waiting for this for years, babe. I’ve wanted you for a long time.” As if to prove his words, he dragged Steve’s hand slowly over the ridged plains of his abdomen and down over the zipper of his shorts until Steve was palming the thick, hard length of Danny’s cock.

  
Steve squeezed and ran his hand up and down Danny’s length and breathed, “Jesus, Danno. I’ve dreamed of this so many times. You don’t even know.”

  
Danny’s chuckle was slightly hysterical and his forehead thumped against the wall. “I think I have a pretty good idea, because I’ve been doing the same thing. We really are idiots, aren’t we?”

  
Steve couldn’t answer. He was so overcome with the feeling of Danny in his arms, the freedom to touch him wherever he wanted, that words were beyond his ability. Instead, he buried his head in the crook of Danny’s neck and licked and bit up the column of his throat while his hands mapped out the territory of Danny’s chest and his hips ground against the cushion his ass. Distantly, he could feel one of Danny’s arms circle back to sink his fingers in Steve’s hair, but he was too intent on working the button free on his partner’s shorts to notice. Even with his fingers trembling, it was only seconds before he was able to work his hand inside Danny’s shorts and beneath the elastic of his boxer briefs. Danny groaned when Steve’s large, calloused hand finally wrapped around his hard length and began to stroke him.

  
“Fuck!” Danny swore, his hips thrusting sharply as Steve used his thumb to circle the sensitive head and smear the copious amounts of fluid gathered at the tip. “If you keep that up, I’m going to embarrass myself, babe.”

  
Steve sucked Danny’s soft earlobe between his lips and bit down gently and his other hand burrowed under his partner’s tee shirt to trace the dents and grooves of his ab muscles. His grip on Danny’s cock tightened and he concentrated more effort on stroking the head of his cock. “I want you to come, Danno. Right here, right now. I want to hear you say my name as you come into my hand.”

  
Danny shivered and thrust hard into Steve’s grip several times and Steve could tell he was already teetering on the brink. It had become his mission to see and feel his partner lose control because of him, so to that end, he moved his other hand up Danny’s chest and pinched and rolled his small, flat nipple between his fingers.

  
Danny jerked beneath him as if shocked by electricity and shouted, “Jesus! Right there…” He trailed off as his hips snapped forward to drive his cock through Steve’s hand twice more before he stiffened and groaned, “Steven…God!”

  
Steve’s breaths were harsh against Danny’s neck and he could feel his own cock throbbing with pent up desire as warm, thick jets of Danny’s release coated his hand and Danny trembled against his chest with the force of his orgasm. Both of them were panting for breath and speechless at what had just happened.

  
Danny was the first to move. Very gently, he pulled Steve’s hand out of his pants, wiped his fingers carelessly on his shorts, and dragged Steve’s other hand out from under his shirt. He turned in Steve’s arms to face him for the first time since they had crossed that invisible line and nudged him back a foot.

  
Steve felt his stomach drop and even his painfully swollen dick began to flag. He felt like such an idiot. Of course this had all just been a reaction to the adrenaline of the moment on Danny’s end. What else had he been expecting? Now his partner and best friend would leave him, too, and it would be all his fault. He dropped his eyes, clenched his jaw, and stepped away even further.

  
“Oh, no you don’t,” Danny warned, advancing toward him. “You’re not backing out now.” He kept pace with Steve as the taller man automatically retreated. Pulling his shirt off over his head, Danny continued, “We’re taking this upstairs and finishing what we started.”

  
Steve stopped in his tracks and stared at his partner, dumbfounded. “What? You mean you want to stay?” Try though he might, he couldn’t keep the note of hope out of his voice.

  
Danny’s eyes softened and he reached up to frame Steve’s jaw in his palm. “I’m not going anywhere, you great big goof. Come here, you.”

  
He guided Steve’s face down to meet his until their lips met in a soft, hesitant kiss. Their lips clung and parted, breaths mingling, before Steve sank into Danny’s mouth and deepened the kiss. Danny met him halfway, his hand buried into the soft, brown curls of Steve’s hair, and opened his mouth for Steve to sweep inside.

  
Steve couldn’t get enough of Danny’s taste. He had never really held much stock in kissing before now, but the feel of Danny’s mouth on his was enough to make him an addict. The softness of Danny’s lips, the slide of their tongues against each other, and the small noises his partner made in the back of his throat drove him to new heights of madness. He licked and nipped at Danny’s lips and sank his tongue inside his mouth while his arms pulled him in closer until he could feel the brush of Danny’s small, puckered nipples against him.

  
Danny was the first to pull back and Steve stared into his pale blue eyes that were glazed with passion. “Are you just going to stand here and maul me in your kitchen like an animal, or are we going to go somewhere more comfortable?”

  
Steve couldn’t help the wide, boyish grin that spread over his face. “You getting a crick in your neck, Danno?”

  
Danny smirked, grabbed his hand, and began to haul him toward the stairs. “Not yet, but the night is young,” he promised.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny couldn’t believe that his partner was following him so docilely and allowing him to call the shots. It was almost as if Steve were in shock that this was really happening, and that made Danny all the more eager to take the control that was finally in his grasp. So many times, he had dreamed of having this man at his mercy and the ability to touch him as he wanted. To that end, he pushed Steve until the taller man was sitting on his bed and looking up into Danny’s face with an unreadable expression.

Danny couldn’t help himself. He stepped into Steve’s body, buried his hand in the soft brown curls at Steve’s nape, and pulled his head back. Their eyes locked, stormy blue to shifting hazel, and Danny closed the distance between them and claimed his lips for his own. Distantly, he felt Steve’s hands on his waist, but he was more intent on the feel and taste of his partner’s lips as he plunged inside his mouth to explore and lick. He was maddened with lust, his kisses almost punishing, as he pulled Steve’s bottom lip between his teeth and bit until his partner moaned into his mouth. He couldn’t seem to get enough of him; one hand was gripping Steve’s hair and the other one bracketing his jaw and using his thumb to press down on the taller man’s chin so that he couldn’t keep Danny out of his velvety depths. He wanted to crawl inside him, claim every inch of the infuriating man that had haunted and teased him for years, and brand him with marks to let everyone know who this amazing man belonged to.

It seemed like hours had passed before Danny broke away and braced his forehead against Steve’s while they panted for breath. “Danny…” Steve whispered, his voice broken and pleading.

“Undo my pants, babe. Take them off,” Danny instructed him, his own voice deep and crackling with need.

Steve’s hands trembled as he did what he was told. Eventually, the button gave under his fingers and the shorts fell to Danny’s feet. Without being told, Steve grasped the elastic of his boxer briefs and pulled them down, too, until Danny was naked.

“Jesus,” the taller man breathed, his tone reverent.

Danny couldn’t help but chuckle, but he stopped Steve from touching him when the other man made to take his length in his hand. “I’m glad you’re impressed, babe, but it’s my turn now.”

Taking a short step away from the bed, Danny gave a gentle push on Steve’s shoulder to send him sprawling back on the bed. Danny was on him in a flash, straddling his hips and grinding his already swollen cock against Steve’s own as he licked and nipped and roughly squeezed the muscles of Steve’s chest. Steve was moaning and thrusting against Danny, wordless pleas ripping from his throat as Danny bit and licked at his small, hardened nipples. Danny was relentless in his pursuit of learning the contours of Steve’s body, too eager to take his time lingering, as he made his way downward toward his goal.

His hands were rough and impatient as he wrestled the jogging pants off Steve’s legs until he had his partner as naked as he was. “Oh, fuck me,” Danny breathed as he finally set his eyes on the long, thick column of Steve’s swollen erection.

“Maybe next time. I’d rather you do me first,” Steve answered, a challenging smirk twisting his lips as his big hands trailed over his abs and down to fist his weeping cock.

Danny thought he would come again right there and a shiver of lust chased up and down his body. “Supplies?” he asked, his voice hoarse and cracking.

Steve tossed his head toward the table next to his bed and Danny lost no time in scrambling around in the drawer until he came back with a condom and a tube of lubricant. He tossed them on the bed next to his partner and lowered himself to his knees so that his face was level with Steve’s gorgeous cock. Grabbing the lube, he squeezed some on his fingers until they were liberally coated and then dropped the tube back on the bed.

Looking up the long, thickly muscled body of his best friend, Danny met Steve’s eyes and asked, “Are you sure about this, babe? We don’t have to-“

“I want this, Danno. I want you,” Steve cut him off firmly before resting his head back on the bed and shutting his eyes.

Danny took a shaky breath, grasped Steve’s cock with his left hand, and licked a long, wet stripe up the length and around the head. Steve gasped and grabbed fistfuls of the bedding as Danny sucked at the tip and lowered his mouth further and further along his erection until he could feel Steve’s crown bumping against the opening of his throat. Steve was thrashing his head from side to side, and while he was distracted, Danny moved the fingers of his other hand to the tight, puckered opening of his ass. Gently, he circled and dipped inside several times until he pushed his finger inside.

Steve was already shaking underneath him and he groaned, “More, Danny. I won’t last too much longer and I need you inside me.”

Danny released Steve’s cock from the warm haven of his mouth and blew cool air across him while he obligingly sank a second finger inside Steve’s tight opening. He twisted and plunged his fingers inside him, scissoring and working his partner open. Finally, he slid in a third finger, but paused when Steve hissed and froze.

“Are you okay, babe?” Danny asked, worry and caution in his tone.

Steve took a deep breath and sank down on Danny’s fingers as he exhaled until they were buried deep inside him. He moaned roughly, and began to move up and down on his fingers. “God, Danny. It’s been a while…I forgot how it felt. I want to feel you inside me, filling me up and fucking me hard. I need you so fucking bad, Danno.”

Danny thought he would lose it as Steve’s broken, needy words poured over him like molten fire. Gently, he pulled his fingers from Steve’s body and reached for the condom, tearing it open with his teeth, and rolled it over his thick cock. Steve moved up the bed, making room for Danny, and pulled a pillow down and situated it under his ass. He spread his legs and made room for the shorter man to kneel between them. Danny grabbed the lube and generously coated his length before nestling right up against Steve’s ass.

He stopped to look at Steve who was panting heavily with excitement. “Open your eyes and look at me, babe,” Danny commanded softly.

Steve cracked his eyelids open and met Danny’s eyes. “Don’t let me hurt you. You tell me if I need to stop or slow down, or this won’t happen again. You understand me, babe?”

Steve nodded, and when Danny raised an eyebrow, he verbally replied, “I understand, Danno.”

Their eyes locked for a moment, and Danny pushed forward until the fat head of his crown sank inside his partner’s ass. Steve gasped and Danny swore as he slowly worked his way deeper inside his partner until his hips were flush with Steve’s. He stopped to admire the view of his cock buried deep inside Steve’s body before bending over and claiming Steve’s mouth. His tongue forced its way inside Steve’s mouth and plunged in and out in a parody of what he was about to do with his cock until Steve’s fingers were digging into the globes of his ass with desperation.

“Danny, Danny, please,” Steve moaned as he broke away from the rough kiss while moving restlessly against the shorter man’s body.

Danny could feel the sleeping monster inside him roaring to life with the urge to possess the man beneath him. Only the desire to see Steve’s face light up with pleasure kept his thrusts slow and steady at first until he was sure that he wasn’t hurting his partner. When Steve begged him to fuck him harder, Danny lost all control. Scooping his hands under Steve’s knees, he raised up on his own knees and slid out and plunged back inside Steve’s body over and over. He wanted to close his eyes to concentrate on the feel of the tight, hot grip of Steve’s body on his cock, but he could not give up the delicious view of his partner gripping his own cock while his muscles bunched and released along his abdomen with every thrust of Danny’s hips.

Danny could feel the coil of pleasure winding tighter and tighter in his gut and knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. “God, you are so beautiful like this, babe. I could fuck you like this for hours, but you feel too good. I need you to come for me, Steven.”

He changed the angle of his thrusts until Steve cried out, and then continued to pump into him while hitting that magical spot over and over again. Steve’s hand was a blur of movement on his own cock until he stiffened beneath Danny and yelled, “God! Danny!”

Danny’s eyes almost crossed as Steve clenched down on him while his cock erupted with long, pearly arcs of seed that painted his own torso with his orgasm. Danny released his tight hold on his control and pounded inside Steve’s body with hard, punishing strokes until he buried himself as deeply as he could go and came with a shout.

He continued to plunge into Steve’s body as he spent himself into the condom and nonsense words flowed from his mouth. “Fuck…Steven…so good…I can’t…stop…love you…so much…”

Finally, he collapsed across Steve’s chest and nothing broke the silence except the sounds of their breath and the thundering heartbeats that echoed in their ears. Steve’s arms wound across Danny’s sweat-slickened back and held him tightly until there was no part of their bodies that wasn’t touching or entwined. Danny closed his eyes and soaked in the feeling of Steve’s body around his own and fought back ridiculous tears that seemed to spring out of nowhere. He had wanted this man for so long and never thought he would get to lay there in his arms. The reality of it was so much more than he could handle and the emotion of it all rose up to crash against him like an ocean wave.

Steve cleared his throat. “You…you love me?” he asked, his nose buried in the fragrant blonde tresses of his partner.

The question shocked Danny back into the present and he looked up at Steve in confusion. “Of course I love you, you big goof. Haven’t I been telling you that for years?”

Steve looked mystified by Danny’s statement. “Well, yeah, but I thought you meant like a friend or a brother.”

Danny searched Steve’s face and saw the traces of insecurity, fear of abandonment, and cautious hope all battling for prominence. Danny’s heart gave a lurch in his chest, and he framed Steve’s jaw with his hand, careful not to touch the long red scratch from the shrapnel. “Babe, of course I love you like a friend and a brother.” Steve’s eyes skated away and his jaw clenched. “No, I need you to look at me, Steven.” When he reluctantly returned his gaze to his partner, Danny continued, “But I also love you like a man who wants to kiss you and hold you and fuck you raw. I love you like a man who is obsessed with staring at your chest and those fucking tattoos every time you whip off your shirt and like a man who gets hard every time you throw your arm around my shoulders. I love all of you, Steven. Body, heart, and soul, and I have for years.”

Steve blinked rapidly and his voice was strangled when he finally answered, “I love you, too, Danno. Always have, always will.”

With unspoken agreement, their lips met for a sweet, slow kiss. Their lips clung and parted, their breaths mingled and traded space, and their hands traced and flowed across each other’s skin. Finally, Danny pulled away and kissed a line across Steve’s jaw and whispered, “Let me get something to clean us both up. I’m exhausted and I want to fall asleep with my head right here.” He tapped the skin that ran under Steve’s collarbone from his chest to his shoulder.

Steve grinned and nodded, and Danny gently eased himself back from his partner’s body and slipped away to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and get a washcloth. With quick and efficient movements, he wiped them both down, tossed the cloth in the hamper, and slipped under the covers to roll into Steve’s body where he fit perfectly against his lover’s chest. In no time, his eyes were drifting closed, and as he floated off to sleep, he heard Steve whisper, “Always.”


End file.
